"Groundhog Day" show will go on despite star's injury, producers say
NEW YORK -- Producers of the Broadway musical “Groundhog Day” say it will open as planned, but injured star Andy Karl’s status is unclear.
Karl hurt himself during a preview performance Friday, forcing the cancellation of Saturday’s matinee. Understudy Andrew Call was to fill in for Karl at the Saturday night performance.
Have a great show tonight @AndrewCall1! You're gonna kill it. break a .... never mind, MERDE! Cc @GhDMusical pic.twitter.com/QD89zGxb2h
— Andy Karl (@Andy_Karl) April 15, 2017
In a statement Saturday, producers said the musical is scheduled to open Monday, with further performance information to follow. They declined to address the question of whether Karl would appear.
The show must open by April 27 to be eligible for the Tony Awards, according to The New York Times.
On Instagram, Karl posted that he tweaked his knee after a “poorly landed leap frog” and intended to see a medical specialist before going back on stage. People tweeted from the performance that it appeared that Karl was injured when a stunt went wrong. The show was briefly paused after Karl’s injury, and he returned to the stage, slightly tweaking a line to quip about his injury, according to the Times.
He finished Friday’s performance despite the injury, with help from a cane and his fellow actors.